The rink repair plan got a little more brine-tuned.

Okotoks Town Council approved a $100,000 operating budget amendment on June 8 to cover additional repair work at Murray Arena.

The one-time expense will come from operating reserves and is tied to a Recreation & Programs asset replacement project involving the arena’s brine lines. The amendment raises the project budget from $180,000 to $280,000.

The work is focused on the Murray Arena header trench, an underground service corridor below the rink that contains pipes carrying the refrigeration brine solution used to maintain the ice surface.

Recreation & Programs manager Daniel Robinson told council the original plan was to replace 20-year-old steel piping with PVC after deterioration was found in the steel. Once work began earlier this spring, crews also identified concrete deterioration and steel structure degradation affecting the safety of the trench cover system.

Council approved the amendment unanimously.

Administration had also outlined an alternative option to move $100,000 from a separate $160,000 Curling Club vestibule project in the 2026 operating budget, but council did not use that approach.

The vestibule project includes automated sliding doors and an expanded entry area. Administration said the work is intended to address safety and operational issues, including door safety, airflow concerns, and debris or salt being tracked toward the curling ice.

With the budget amendment approved, Recreation & Programs is expected to proceed with both the Murray Arena repairs and the Curling Club vestibule project.